Lester upping ante for Red Sox

Can't blame Jon Lester if he's feeling like a nowhere man these days. But when he finds his landing spot, he's going to be a very, very rich man.

By Lenny MegliolaSpecial to the News

BOSTON — Can't blame Jon Lester if he's feeling like a nowhere man these days. But when he finds his landing spot, he's going to be a very, very rich man. The only unknowns are who'll be signing his fat checks, and where the talented Red Sox lefthander will be working to earn them.Lester's name has been a hot topic of discussion as Red Sox management tries to figure out what they've got: an underperforming team that might still make a postseason push in the topsy-turvy AL East, or a team that just doesn't have it, and it's time to think about the future.And whether Lester should be a part of it. Trade him, sign him, let him walk? It's been the airwaves buzz for a while.Meanwhile, as Lester took the mound against the Orioles on Saturday afternoon, all he could do was work on his solid numbers, which were 9-7 and 2.92 when he threw the first pitch.He's still 9-7, but since the Orioles' two runs were unearned, Lester's ERA dipped to 2.73. Lester gave up just five hits, struck out seven. He walked none in eight superb innings. The Red Sox won it 3-2 in the ninth on Jonathan Herrera's walkoff pinch-hit single.It was Lester's second straight start going eight innings without surrendering an earned run. In six June starts his ERA was 1.98. In his last five starts his ERA is 0.96.The price tag is rising."Jon gets in stretches when you just give him the ball and get out of the way," manager John Farrell said.Lester would only say, "I feel good. Fastball command was really good. Had consistency with the cutter. I was keeping the ball down."Lester's always been a workhorse. Get deep into games. That's the badge he carries. "That's what I try to pride myself on. Keep us in the game."Poor defense led to the Orioles' two runs in the third inning. Shockingly, a Dustin Pedroia throwing error on what looked like an easy play put Delmon Young on to lead off the inning. After Chris Joseph singled, Lester struck out Jonathan Schoop and got Nick Markakis to ground out.So two outs, runners on second and third. When Steve Pearce hit an innocent grounder right into third baseman Xander Bogaerts' glove, Lester was set to walk to the dugout with the shutout in tact. Except Bogaerts — whose having a terrible time all-around — badly misplayed the ball and both runners scored.Lester raised both hands over his head in disbelief or disgust. Probably both. He has been the victim of 12 unearned runs this year. He'd never given up more than seven unearned runs in an entire season. That was 2012.Lester had the sense he might get yanked after seven innings. "I thought I'd be done, but John didn't say anything."Farrell said "he seemingly got more efficient in the last few innings. He never labored at all. Very strong game by Jon."Yes, the two errors hurt, but there was also some impressive defense behind Lester, particularly the brilliant 6-4-3 double play started by Stephen Drew that ended the eighth."That was huge," said Lester. More so because the batter was Nelson Cruz. "He's hit me well," said Lester. Right, like .458 with three homers lifetime vs. Lester.Drew's made-for-Web Gems opus "got the guys back in the dugout," said Lester, who emoted mightily when the DP was completed. Watching Pedroia and Drew play their positions is to witness two great artists working side by side on their canvas. If Drew (he slugged his third homer, by the way) could only hit a little more. Let's say .247.Lester threw 118 pitches. In 16 of his 18 starts he's thrown more than 100 pitches. Home runs allowed the last 38 innings: zero.Every Lester outing like this one ups the contract ante. How high will the Red Sox really go. Or the Yankees? Or anyone searching for a rotation stud? Giving pitchers long-term mega contracts is risky business. Some would call it fool's gold. The Red Sox may have already made their decision.There are plenty of cautionary tales. Cliff Lee went to the Phillies as a free agent in 2011. He finished 17-8 that season, nice, then 6-9 and 14-8. He's 4-4 this year and has been on the DL since May. He's making $25 million this year and due the same next year.He's also 36. Lester's just 30, but who can say what his fate will be whether he stays in Boston or moves on? It's a gamble for the Red Sox or the team willing to open the vault for him. It could also mean someone's getting no less than a near-ace for years.All Jon Lester can do is pitch and let his agent play the stare down $$$ game.Lenny Megliola can be reached at lennymegs@aol.com.